The Sunshine Supplement: Vitamin D3
When the sun hides away and the weather gets moody, it's important to get our Vitamin D from another source. We certainly aren't floating the river under the sun anymore!
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is produced in our skin by the conversion of sunlight (UV rays) - isn't our body amazing?
Vitamin D isn't one single compound but rather a combination of nutrients. As you may know, these can be found in foods as well, because we are not the only organism doing this UV conversion.
Here are some places (other than spots of sunshine) that you can find the D this fall and winter:
Certain mushrooms - that have been exposed to UV light.
Fish oil
Milk or orange juice that have been fortified with Vitamin D
Eggs
Butter
Vitamin D supplement*
*This is the easiest and most effective option.
How does Vitamin D help my immune system?
Vitamin D is vital at facilitating normal immune function. When the sun dips out, our vitamin levels can drop, and it's the absence of Vitamin D that makes us susceptible to infection and illness.
Vitamin D also wards off depression - ahh yes, those winter blues. There's a theme here!
Get your supplement game on!
Vitamin D2 vs. Vitamin D3
Did you know that there are two main forms of Vitamin D supplements? They are Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3 - and their effectiveness is quite a contrast.
Most likely, if you were to run down to Costco and pick up a bottle of Vitamin D it would be in the D2 form. These are much cheaper to produce which is why they are more common.
But this one isn't as strong for our bodies as its cousin.
The Vitamin D3 supplement, however, is a much closer compound to the vitamin naturally created in your skin from sunlight. D3 sourced from animals and is more effective for our bodies than D2 - which is sourced from plants.
While both supplements absorb well into the bloodstream, the liver metabolizes them differently.
Vitamin D3 yields more Calcifediol - the leading form of Vitamin D in our blood. D3 is twice as strong at raising our Vitamin D levels than D2.
As a supplement, D3 also has more durability and longevity than D2 during storage.
We recommend Vitamin D3.
And because we know you need it...
OCTOBER SPECIAL:
BIOTECH Vitamin D3 dietary supplement
20% OFF
at Heal Grow Thrive Medicine
Call our office to reserve yours, or pick up at your next visit!